Let’s Learn the Rules of Star Realms!

Hey there! Have you ever played the game Star Realms? It’s super fun and exciting! I’m here to help you understand the rules so that you can dive right in and start playing. So, let’s get started!

Objective

The objective of Star Realms is to build a powerful space fleet and defeat your opponent. You and your opponent will take turns playing cards and attacking each other’s bases. The first player to reduce their opponent’s authority (life) to zero wins the game!

The Deck

Each player starts the game with a deck of 8 Scout cards and 2 Viper cards. The Scout cards provide trade points which you can use to purchase new cards, while the Viper cards provide combat points which you can use to attack your opponent.

The Trade Row

During your turn, you can use the trade points from your Scout cards to purchase new cards from the Trade Row. The Trade Row consists of 5 face-up cards that are available for purchase. These cards can be ships or bases, and each card has a cost in trade points.

Ships and Bases

Ships are used to attack your opponent and deal damage to their bases. Bases, on the other hand, provide special abilities and can protect you from your opponent’s attacks. When you play a base card, it stays in play and continues to provide its ability each turn. Each base has both a defense value and an ability, so they are an important part of your strategy.

Combat

When you have ships in play, you can use their combat points to attack your opponent’s bases and reduce their authority. You choose which bases to attack, and your opponent can choose to defend them with their own ships. The combat is resolved simultaneously, and any damage dealt to bases reduces their defense value. If a base’s defense is reduced to zero, it is destroyed.

Card Abilities

Many cards in Star Realms have special abilities that can greatly impact the game. These abilities might allow you to draw extra cards, gain extra trade or combat points, or even scrap cards from your deck. It’s important to carefully consider which cards to purchase and play in order to maximize their abilities and gain an advantage over your opponent.

Winning the Game

As I mentioned earlier, the first player to reduce their opponent’s authority to zero wins. But don’t forget that you can also win by completely depleting your opponent’s deck. Once a player runs out of cards in their deck and discard pile, they lose the game!

Conclusion

Now that you know the rules of Star Realms, you’re ready to embark on an epic space battle! Remember to carefully manage your trade points, plan your attacks strategically, and take advantage of the special abilities of your cards. Good luck, and may the stars be with you!

Hey there! Let’s dive into the exciting world of space armadas! We start the game with our very own deck of 10 cards that represent our powerful space fleets. Every turn, we get to play cards that give us Trade, Combat, and other awesome effects.

Trade is a cool feature in the game that lets you get stronger cards for your deck.

When you’re in the heat of battle, it’s all about attack. Using combat skills, I can go on the offensive and strike at my opponent’s weaknesses. Combating is like going for their jugular – a direct hit that can really turn the tide of a fight.

Authority, the score that determines your success in the game, starts at 50 for each player. Your goal is to bring your opponent’s Authority down to zero to secure a victory!

To set up the game, each player begins with a personal deck. These decks consist of 8 Scout cards and 2 Viper cards. Additionally, both players start with 50 Authority. Make sure to allocate space for a discard pile next to each personal deck. Place the 10 Explorer cards face-up on the table.

Now, it’s time to prepare the Trade Deck. Shuffle it thoroughly and place it face-down on the table. Take 5 cards from the Trade Deck and lay them face-up next to the Trade Row. Remember to leave room for the Scrap Heap, where removed cards will go.

Lastly, determine which player will take the first turn randomly. The chosen player will draw three cards from their personal deck, while the other player will draw five. Always remember to draw cards from your own personal deck.

How to Play the Game

Hey there! Let’s dive into the exciting world of this game. When you play, the goal is to beat your opponent and come out on top. Get ready for some awesome game play!

Phase 1: Main Phase

During the Main Phase, it’s your time to shine! You can do a lot of cool things in this phase. The best part? You can do them in any order you want. Here are a few options:

• Play cards from your hand.
• Use the abilities of Ships or Bases that are already on the field.
• Acquire new Ships or Bases using Trade and put them in your discard pile.
• Attack your opponent or their bases using Combat.

And the best part? You can do any of these things as many times as you want! Imagine playing two cards, getting a new card, and then playing another card! The possibilities are endless.

Playing Cards

Playing a card in this game won’t cost you a single penny. Just put it on the table in front of you, face up, and do what it instructs you to do. There are two categories of cards that you can include in your deck: Ships and Bases.

Ships

Ships have a special ability that activates whenever you play them. Once in play, they remain there until your Discard Phase.

Bases

Bases stick around in the game until they’re destroyed or scrapped. Each Base has a Defense, which is the amount of damage it can take in one turn before it’s destroyed.

There are some Bases called “Outposts” that protect you and your other Bases. If you have an Outpost, your opponent can’t attack you or your non-outpost Bases until all of your Outposts are gone.

Now, let’s talk about using abilities. While you’re playing, certain Ships and most Bases have abilities that you can use during your Main Phase, whenever you want.

There are also Primary Base Abilities that you can use.

When you look at most Bases, you’ll notice that they have an ability listed in their main text box. Let’s take Blob Wheel as an example. It gives you 1 Combat, which can be pretty useful. However, some Bases have multiple abilities that are separated by the word “or.” This means you have to choose only one of these abilities to use each turn. Let’s say you have Barter World as your Base. This means you can choose to either gain 2 Authority or 2 Trade, but not both. It’s an interesting decision to make.

Ally Abilities

Did you know that some ships and bases have what are called Ally Abilities? These abilities are extra features that the card has, on top of everything else it already does. You can spot Ally Abilities by looking for a faction icon in the card’s text box.

Here’s how Ally Abilities work: when it’s your turn and you have another Ship or Base of the same faction in play, the Ally Ability is triggered. Once triggered, you can use the Ally Ability whenever you want during your Main Phase.

Scrap Abilities

Some ships and bases have a special ability called Scrap Ability. This ability is in addition to any other effects the card may have. You can identify a Scrap Ability by the trash can icon in the text box.

If you decide to use a card’s Scrap Ability, you have to remove the card from play and put it in the Scrap Heap, which is a separate pile where removed cards go. Once a card is in the Scrap Heap, it is no longer part of your deck. Therefore, you need to carefully consider whether the ability is worth permanently giving up that card. It’s a tough decision!

Note: If an Explorer card is scrapped, it is placed face up in the Explorer Pile, not in the Scrap Heap.

Getting Rid of Cards

There are some cards that give you the option to get rid of other cards. You can choose to get rid of cards from your hand, your discard pile, or the Center Row. When you decide to get rid of a card in this manner, you place it in a special area called the Scrap Heap. The Center Row always has 5 cards in it, so if you choose to get rid of a card from the Trade Row, it is immediately replaced with the next card from the Trade Deck.

Getting Cards

You can get Trade from certain Ships and Bases that you play. This Trade is put into a “Trade Pool” that you can use during your Main Phase. Trade is important because it helps you acquire cards from the Trade Row or the Explorer Pile.

The cost of a card is shown in the Trade symbol at the top right corner. To get a card, you need to spend Trade from your Trade Pool that matches the card’s cost. Then, you add the acquired card directly to your discard pile.

Getting a card doesn’t mean you play it right away. It doesn’t go into play and you don’t use its abilities. Any Trade that’s left can be saved and used to get more cards later in the turn. Sometimes, a card’s ability will tell you to “Get a card”.

Hey there! Here’s the deal: you can get the card without trading for it. Cool, right? So, there are always 5 cards in the Trade Row. When you snag a card from the Center Row, you just gotta replace it with the next card from the Trade Deck. Easy peasy!

Time for a Smackdown

Now, some of the Ships and Bases you play will give you Combat power. And guess what? You can use that Combat power in your Main Phase! When you gain Combat, it goes into your “Combat Pool.” You can keep adding to it and use it whenever you want.

So, what can you do with all that Combat power? Well, you can use it to attack your opponent! Or you can attack their Bases too. To attack a Base, just subtract the Base’s Defense from your Combat Pool. If your Combat power is greater, boom! That Base is gone and your opponent has to chuck it into their discard pile. Ouch!

So, here’s the thing: Sometimes when I’m playing this card game, a card will tell me to “Destroy target Base.” And you know what? I don’t even have to use Combat to do it! How crazy is that? It’s like a free pass to demolish a Base without any fuss.

Now, when it comes to attacking my opponent, things get a little different. I can take some of my Combat points from my Combat Pool and subtract them. And guess what? That’s how much I bring down my opponent’s Authority. It’s like a direct hit! So the more Combat points I use, the more I can lower my opponent’s Authority.

Pretty cool, right?

Now, I know this might sound a bit confusing at first, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it’s a total blast. Just remember, sometimes you can destroy a Base without using Combat, and when you attack your opponent, you can subtract Combat points to lower their Authority. It’s all about strategizing and making your moves count.

The Discard Phase

Hey there! Did you know that in addition to having your own deck of cards, you also have your very own discard pile? Whenever you want to get rid of a card or add new ones to your collection, simply place them face up in your discard pile. And guess what? Anyone can take a peek at your discard pile whenever they want!

Now, let’s talk about what happens during your Discard Phase:

• First, any Trade points you have left in your Trade Pool are lost. Say goodbye to those!
• Next, any remaining Combat points in your Combat Pool are also lost. Tough luck!
• All the ships that are currently “in play” are put back into your discard pile. They need a break!
• Last but not least, any cards left in your hand go straight into your discard pile. Time to let go, my friend!

The Draw Phase

Alrighty, here’s what happens during your Draw Phase:

You get to draw 5 new cards! Exciting, isn’t it? But hold on, that’s not all – after you draw your cards, your turn comes to an end. Simple, right?

Oh, and just a friendly reminder: if you ever need to draw a card, but your personal deck is empty, don’t worry! Just shuffle your discard pile and it magically becomes your new deck. Voila!

For example: When my turn starts, I only have three cards left in my deck. I draw those three cards, mix my discarded cards together to make a new deck, and then I draw two more cards.

The Game’s Conclusion

The game finishes when you successfully bring down your opponent’s authority to zero. Then, you become the victor.